Enriching the lives of neighborhood youth through diverse and engaging programs at the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Mimi, Volunteer at the Cook Library Center, Finds Refuge There

It’s not every day that
you meet a college student quite like Mimi (aka Michelle). According to her
mother, Mimi is a “book eater.” Although Mimi was a very petite child who had to
ride in the baby carriage until she was almost two years old, she began talking
before anyone else her age. Her mother called her a “bright child” and said
that she was forming full sentences early in her development. At a young age,
Mimi’s mother would have to take books away to get her to focus on other things.
Even then “She would read the cereal box, the tags on the back of the sofa, and
other things in the house. That's just her!" her mother explained, fondly
laughing. Nowadays, even after spending a long day on homework, Mimi goes to
take a break only to find herself diving into yet another book. Mimi insists
that it’s “recreational reading.” Her favorite books are The Lord of the Rings,
The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion, all written by J. R. R. Tolkien. In fact,
when she first received the trilogy, she read it in less than 48 hours.

Although she was born in
Evergreen, Illinois, Mimi has lived all over the United States due to her
mother’s occupation in campground management. In fact, they have seen every
state in the United States twice and visited both oceans within the course of a
year. Growing up, Mimi attended various schools and also attempted
homeschooling throughout her K-12 education. “A lot of kids didn't like me in
high school,” Mimi said. She feels that her good grades were to blame. She and
her best friend Ruth, who suffers from a terminal illness, “broke the curve on
every single test, making it difficult for the rest of the class to do well.”

Following the trend of
her earlier education, Mimi was a student at several higher education institutions
including Aquinas College and Northwest Michigan College. Mimi now finds
herself studying at Grand Valley State University. This self-proclaimed “nerd”
is majoring in English Language and Literature and minoring in East Asian
Studies with an emphasis on Japan. She would eventually like to translate books
and websites from Japanese to English and vice versa but plans to get her
career started as an assistant English teacher in Japan. In fact, while studying
there she interned at Rice Ball Daycare where she spent two days a week
reading, talking, and playing with Japanese elementary kids. This experience
created a path toward exceptional volunteerism at the Cook Library Center,
where Mimi brings the same joy and wisdom to the young students in the
Grandville Avenue neighborhood.

Mimi got into habit of
volunteering very early, starting at a local library in Manelona, Michigan, in
7th grade. She later became involved with the National Honor Society in high
school, which included volunteer hours as the service component of the program.
At Aquinas College she undertook another project in order to continue receiving
the Monsignor Bukowski scholarship. She traveled to Lasana, Mississippi, where
she relieved people from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2008. “I
helped people who got ignored,” she said, “There was one elderly couple whose
shed fell off its foundation, and no one helped them to put it back up. So we
pushed the shed back up and set things right.” Mimi later received a
certificate for her community service.

Although her current educational
experience at GVSU is excellent, Mimi faces a few barriers. Mimi’s mother, who
suffers from an inoperable brain stem malformation, requires countless visits
to the hospital. Because Mimi’s biological father passed away from diabetes
when she was young, she finds her mother frequently under her care. In addition
to this difficulty at home, Mimi also began to struggle with interpersonal
issues with her roommates. As a
result, Mimi has decided to find other ways to spend her time outside of class.

Fortunately she found
the Cook Library Center, where her opportunity to volunteer with the children
provides a healthy escape. ”The Library Center has reminded me how much I love
going out and spending time with people,” she explained, smiling. "It's
nice to stop hurting for a moment and enjoy life with the kids. It helps me let
everything go for a while … knowing that I’m making life better for them.” She said,
“Coming from an all-white neighborhood with all-white kids, there was no
program like this where I could be with other people like me.” Excluded from
social life in most of the places where she lived, Mimi says that she believes
that the Cook Library Center gives the kids an opportunity to make friends with
one other. “They are not alone here,” she said. “If I had something like
this, I think about how much further I could have gone."